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Prelude
Scene One - A great hall in Arthur's palace at
Carlisle. The massive redbrick walls are covered
with tapestries, and the floor is strewn with cut
reeds. On a dais to the left is the royal throne. As
the curtain rises, Arthur is standing in front of his
guests, apparently in the act of concluding a speech.
Guinevere is seated nearby. The room is filled with
any number of knights, squires and pages, including
Mordred and Lancelot, both of whom are sitting in
the front row. The women are assembled beneath
the throne on the same side as Guinevere. The bards,
dressed in long white robes, are on the opposite side.
ARTHUR
Glory be to all of you who fought beside your king!
Those who destroyed our land have been defeated!
The harsh cruel Saxon tribes have been driven out,
And have now set sail for their own desolate isles!
Before the mightiness of our flashing blue swords,
They've fled our shores and taken to the high seas!
Glory be to the brave Knights of the Round Table,
And above all, to God, our most Heavenly Father!
But Merlin, why aren't you here with the rest of us
On the day when we are celebrating such a victory?
Where on earth could you possibly be hiding away?
Could the great Merlin himself be among the dead?
Wherever you are, I'm sure your heart is throbbing
To the awful sound of the battle cry of the Britons!
King Arthur and his men have triumphed over evil,
And this country is freed of the Saxons at long last!
(There is much excitement to be heard among the
crowd. As the knights strike their shields with the
hilts of their swords, the squires at the back wave
branches of oak.)
CHORUS
Hurrah! Hurrah! Glory be to our invincible leader!
Hurrah! Hurrah! Arthur, your anger is truly terrible
Each time that you brandish your sword Excalibur!
Death and destruction forever follow in your wake!
(Arthur raises his hand to silence his guests.)
ARTHUR
My dear friends, now that the storm is finally over,
Let us forget about the pain that we have suffered!
Let us lay aside these swords and weapons of war,
CHORUS
Glory be to Lancelot, the bravest of knights! Hurrah!
BARDS
See how many soldiers already lie dead on the moor,
Mowed down by the mighty warriors of King Arthur!
Sir Lancelot himself is leading his troops into battle!
See their chargers as they gallop at breakneck speed,
As swift as the great white eagle when it takes flight!
(Arthur comes down from his throne and approaches
the knights.)
ARTHUR
Why, my dear Lancelot, among this festive crowd,
Are you the only one not joining in the celebration?
What is it that seems to be making you so unhappy?
MORDRED
(with biting sarcasm, before Lancelot has even had
a chance to respond)
Perhaps your Lancelot is really a kindhearted soul!
Or perhaps this deep sadness might be due instead
To the fact that he cannot cut more Saxons in half,
Which was how he used to like to begin each day!
ARTHUR (severely)
Mordred, my dear nephew, I'm asking you myself
Not to treat the most valiant knight in the kingdom
In such a disgracefully arrogant and mocking way!
(Mordred has barely begun to speak when Guinevere
suddenly descends from her throne. After receiving
a goblet from one of the squires, she approaches
Lancelot.)
GUINEVERE
Sir Lancelot, the sword no longer reigns supreme
When the harps raise their voices in a joyful song!
Accept this cup from me in reward for your valor!
It's time to forget the fierce cries of the battlefield,
And those terrible scenes of death and destruction!
You must not scorn the winged words of the bards
As they sing of your feats as the bravest of heroes!
Their tales, which are as airy as the clouds above,
Shall bring you the fame that you so well deserve!
Your name will only become a legend for all time
If the bards have celebrated it throughout the ages!
(As she presents him with the cup, she lowers her
voice so that only he can hear her words.)
Tonight! I'll let you know when it's time to come!
(She then moves away, passing between the ranks
of the knights, and pausing briefly to exchange
greetings with several of them.)
MORDRED
(who has been watching her every movement)
They're whispering to each other! He's trembling!
Ah, Guinevere, you have rejected my love for you,
And you have given yourself to him, that Lancelot!
May you both live to see the day of your reckoning!
(Followed by her ladies-in-waiting, Guinevere slowly
exits the hall. Arthur himself accompanies her to the
back of the stage. By the time he returns to his guests,
the banquet tables have already been set up, and he
motions to the knights to be seated. As the feasting
is about to begin, the curtain falls.)
LIONEL
It's almost daylight! The dawn is breaking!
NIGHT WATCHMEN (off stage)
Hey, hey! Hey, hey! The dawn is breaking!
LIONEL
Master, you must leave with me right now!
GUINEVERE
Leave?--What is it?--Is it already daybreak?
NIGHT WATCHMEN
Hey, hey! Hey, hey! The dawn is breaking!
LIONEL
Ah, master, I'm begging you, don't delay!
I can hear the cries of the night watchmen,
And the rising sun is just over the horizon!
NIGHT WATCHMEN
The sun is up, and a new day is breaking!
LIONEL
I am begging you not to tempt your fate!
GUINEVERE (rising)
Oh, my darling, our night of love is over!
It's time to go our separate ways for now!
(Lionel goes into the queen's apartments,
and reappears some moments later carrying
Lancelot's weapons.)
LANCELOT
How the hours drag by when we're apart!
When will we see each other once again?
GUINEVERE
Tonight! Perhaps tonight if all goes well!
I'll make sure that you receive a message-(After a brief hesitation, Mordred slowly makes
his way forward from the back of the stage, taking
care to remain hidden by the trees. As the first
glimmer of daylight appears, he suddenly catches
sight of Guinevere and Lancelot.)
MORDRED
(turning back and shouting with all his might)
On your guard! There are traitors among us!
LIONEL
Oh, dear God, they've been caught in a trap!
GUINEVERE
Heaven help us if he goes and tells the king!
MORDRED
Everyone! Come quickly! I need your help!
LIONEL
Master, it's Mordred! He has found you out!
MORDRED
On your guard, everyone! I need your help!
LANCELOT
(as he advances on Mordred)
You miserable coward! Pick up your sword!
(After an exchange of blows, Mordred is struck
down by a terrible wound to his chest. Guinevere,
MORDRED
Someone help me! Someone help me please!
GUINEVERE
(turning around in absolute terror)
Oh, my Lord God! He's alive! He's still alive!
(A detachment of soldiers descending from the
ramparts suddenly appears in the background.
As they crowd around the wounded Mordred,
the curtain slowly begins to fall.)
ACT TWO
Prelude
Scene One - The edge of a pine forest. The tree
trunks, tall and straight, resemble endless rows
of stately columns. On the right, a large mosscovered rock that could be used as a place to sit.
At the back, fields stretching out into the distance.
It is broad daylight. The sun, filtering through the
branches of the trees, leaves bright patches on the
ground. As the curtain rises, a plowman is slowly
moving across the back of the stage, scattering
seeds along the way.
PLOWMAN
Rion, the beard-stealing king of the isles,
Was said to be all of eight feet tall, ho ho!
With his band of pirates and desperadoes,
This giant would sail across the high seas,
And prowl around our towns and villages
So as to kidnap our wives and daughters!
The eagles of Lomond high up in the sky
Were keeping watch over Arthur's realm!
(He disappears on the right.)
One dark night they spied the pirate ship,
And cried out to warn their country man-"Merlin, wake up! Go and alert the king!
The giant's here to carry off our women!"
(As Lancelot slowly moves forward from the
back of the stage, he pauses to lay his sword
and cloak down at the foot of a tree.)
Scene Two - Lancelot and Guinevere
LANCELOT
GUINEVERE
I'll show the world how much I love you!
LANCELOT
We'll live only for the love that we share!
GUINEVERE
Such happiness is like a dream come true!
LANCELOT
We're free at last! No joy could be greater!
GUINEVERE
We're free! There could be no greater joy!
(They fall into each other's arms, and
remain locked in a passionate embrace.)
GUINEVERE and LANCELOT
We now belong to each other body and soul,
And our two hearts will forever beat as one!
No one else has ever loved like this before!
No one has known such heights of passion!
LANCELOT
Oh, Guinevere, my own sweet Guinevere,
I love you! I'm yours until the end of time!
GUINEVERE
Oh, Lancelot, I love you with all my heart!
Hold me close! And never let me go again!
LANCELOT
Come, my darling! Let me take you away!
(As he leads her off stage, the curtain falls.)
Scene Four - A cloister in an inner courtyard
of Arthur's castle at Carlisle. Through the stately
columns of its galleries, a view of the garden at
its center, and the castle roofs in the background.
The garden itself is overgrown with trees, thickets
and vines. At the end of the gallery on the right,
several steps that lead to the door of the king's
apartments. The curtain rises on a group of knights
engaged in quiet conversation. Arthur enters from
the left and addresses one of the men in their midst.
ARTHUR
Is Sir Lancelot still nowhere to be seen?
KNIGHT
I'm sorry, sire, there's no sign of him yet!
(Arthur motions to the knights to withdraw,
and begins to walk slowly along the gallery.)
ARTHUR
I've had the same thought over and over!
I've tried so hard to get it out of my head,
But it keeps on coming back to me again!
I have lost what peace of mind I had left!
My faith in God and man is gone forever!
How can I put an end to these suspicions?
My sweet Guinevere! My loyal Lancelot!
Oh, no! They'd never deceive their king!
But why hasn't he come to me in person?
Oh, my Lancelot! Please answer my call!
I'm here to welcome you with open arms!
Just tell me that Mordred has been lying!
In my heart of hearts I still believe in you!
(As he makes his way slowly along the
gallery, he stops to ponder his situation.)
I overturned the altars of the pagan gods!
I chased the Saxons away from this land!
I founded the Knights of the Round Table
So as to bring God's justice to this world!
I'd thought these ideals would be eternal,
But the end of my dreams is here instead!
The knights are all at war with each other,
Torn by jealousy and the lust for revenge,
And no longer want to abide by the rules!
They let themselves be led on by Mordred,
Who is secretly inciting them all to revolt!
My nephew has set his heart on my crown,
And I'm sure he hates me more than ever!
I'm surrounded on all sides by conspiracy!
Are they plotting to bring down Lancelot?
Are they out to destroy him as well as me?
Am I right in suspecting him of treachery?
Why have you abandoned me, my Merlin?
You were my sole helpmate from early on!
Everything we believed in is coming apart,
And I'm powerless to prevent this disaster!
Oh, Merlin, my dear friend in days of yore,
What evil spell has kept you away so long?
Such a burden is too heavy for me to bear!
Come back to me! Where are you hiding?
Scene Five - Arthur and Merlin
ARTHUR
Merlin, I'm begging you! Hear my voice!
(The trees part slightly, revealing Merlin
himself, who is half hidden by the branches
of an apple tree. He is wearing a long white
robe, and his white beard reaches down to
his waist. Throughout the entire scene, he
remains completely still.)
MERLIN
My Arthur! Turn around and look at me!
ARTHUR
Oh, Merlin, my oldest and dearest friend,
You have answered my pleas at long last!
(He goes out into the garden.)
MERLIN
Green apple trees, who tell of the future,
Whose magical words only I understand,
How many centuries have now passed by
Since those days when you first took root!
Oh, green apple trees again in full bloom,
The day of reckoning has finally arrived!
Woe is me! The hundred-year-old eagles
Abandoned watch on Lomond this night,
And cried out their ill omens to the skies!
Oh, green apple trees, as old as the hills!
ARTHUR
I've never heard you sound so sad before!
Merlin, I'm afraid to ask what this means!
MERLIN
There is no hope at all left for the future!
What we once achieved is now destroyed!
The Round Table is doomed to extinction,
Despised and rejected by those you loved!
ARTHUR
So everything is now over and done with!
Isn't there any hope for redemption at all?
Can you at least tell me what the reason is
For the downfall of my beloved kingdom?
There was a time when you had no doubts
That what we had built would last forever!
It was you who could look into the future!
But why do you suddenly seem so strange?
Why are you sitting there as still as can be,
Half hidden among the branches of a tree?
FIRST CHORUS
Ah! Just think! We'll get rid of Lancelot!
SECOND CHORUS
Have you all forgotten about King Arthur,
And the honor of the Round Table itself?
FIRST CHORUS
It's time to put an end to the Round Table!
We're tired of living by his code of honor!
We don't want to obey his rules anymore!
SECOND CHORUS
How dare you talk like that, you traitors!
We're warning you! We've heard enough!
(Beside himself with anger, Arthur rushes over
to where the knights are standing, brandishing
his sword and shouting at the top of his voice.)
ARTHUR
Prepare for battle! Ready your weapons!
I'd rather die than let him take her away!
ALL
Prepare for battle! Ready your weapons!
ACT THREE
Prelude
Scene One - A rocky hilltop overlooking the
battlefield. To the right, several pine trees.
On the horizon, the sea. As the curtain rises,
Guinevere rushes on stage, followed by Allan,
her ancient squire.
ALLAN
Oh, mistress, I pray you to stop right here!
The battlefield is over there on the plains!
I'm begging you! Just stay where you are!
GUINEVERE
Be off with you! I'm not afraid anymore!
(She moves over to the far right, and gazes
anxiously into the distance.)
So the die is cast! He has finally given in!
Up to the very last moment I had thought
That Lancelot would back out once again!
But my prayers were answered in the end!
Sir Lancelot himself has joined the battle!
GUINEVERE
Allan, are you mad? For Lancelot to desert-ALLAN (interrupting her)
It's him! It's him! And he's headed this way!
GUINEVERE (rising to her feet)
Then he must have been wounded in battle!
(As she gazes once again at the distant plain,
Lancelot suddenly appears before her in the
company of Lionel and several of his squires.
Unarmed and obviously distraught, he stops
short at the sight of Guinevere.)
Scene Two - Lancelot and Guinevere
LANCELOT
God! Guinevere! What are you doing here?
GUINEVERE
(rushing over to him)
You've been hurt! You've been wounded!
No, you haven't!--Then why are you here?
Speak to me! Tell me what has happened!
LANCELOT
I left the battle and abandoned my troops!
GUINEVERE
What are you telling me? You've deserted?
LANCELOT
Ah, Guinevere! It was you who wished it so!
Despite the sheer horror of this ungodly war,
I joined in the battle in answer to your pleas!
At first the old excitement overwhelmed me,
And I forgot I was fighting against my king!
Then suddenly my eyes caught sight of him!
There was Arthur, in the midst of his knights,
Standing head and shoulders above them all,
And holding the sword Excalibur in his hand!
Just as suddenly I could see what I had done,
And an unspeakable shame took hold of me!
I threw down my weapons, and I rode away!
GUINEVERE (to herself)
Ah! He no longer cares what becomes of us!
At the last moment I've lost his love forever!
LANCELOT
What have I done? What's happened to me?
GUINEVERE
Then you prefer death to Guinevere's love!
LANCELOT
I still love you with all my heart and soul!
GUINEVERE
Don't say any more! I can't bear to hear it!
LANCELOT
I have no choice but to try to rid my heart
Of this passion that has consumed my life!
GUINEVERE
Ah! If you loved me as much as I love you,
How could there be anything else on earth
That is more precious to you than our love?
LANCELOT
I have broken the most sacred of my vows!
A veil has finally been torn from my eyes!
I can see! It is clear to me what I must do!
I have to obey the voice of my conscience!
Guinevere, are you ready to share my fate?
GUINEVERE
What are you asking? What do you mean?
LANCELOT
We're both guilty of having betrayed him!
Why can't we at least tell him we're sorry?
GUINEVERE
How could you even suggest such a thing?
Go back to Arthur and beg for his mercy?
And hope for his forgiveness? No! Never!
LANCELOT
Guinevere! Why won't you come with me?
GUINEVERE
I'll never go back! Not in a thousand years!
(As the sounds of battle become louder and
louder, the blare of trumpets can be heard
from both sides of the stage.)
LANCELOT
Listen! The trumpets! They're still fighting!
So much blood is being shed on both sides!
CHORUS
Come with us now beyond the blue waves!
ARTHUR
What voices are these? Who is calling me?
CHORUS
Come with us beyond the stars high above!
Let us take you with us to a far better place,
Where life's mysteries are at last revealed!
Let us take you beyond those earthly things
That are here today and are gone tomorrow!
Come with us, Arthur! Come to sleep now!
Let us take you along to your heavenly rest!
ARTHUR
Ah! Mysterious spirits from another world,
I don't even dare believe what I have heard!
Have you come all this way to spread a veil
Of forgetfulness over my poor, weary eyes?
CHORUS
Come with us! The one who sent us to you
Has decreed your destiny shall be sublime!
Your heart and soul shall find peace at last
Not through death, but deep, endless sleep!
ARTHUR
Close my eyes and let the world fade away!
Depart this sad life forever and be no more!
Put an end to all of this pain and suffering!
(The back of the stage is suddenly bathed in the
pink and gold light of the setting sun, and a barge
filled with women appears on the horizon. As the
vessel approaches the shore, one of women, who
is standing in the stern, spreads open her wings
as if they were sails.)
CHORUS
Come along! Leave this vale of tears behind!
Come with us now and rest your weary soul!
Come to an island whose shores are caressed
By bright, sparkling waves of gold and azure,
And whose calm, cool breezes for ever blow,
Rustling the branches of the lush green trees!
In the cool shade of its gently swaying palms,
You shall sleep peacefully to the end of time!
All the carnations and the roses and the lilies
Shall bend their sweet heads to kiss your lips,
And the irises shall burst into glorious bloom
CHORUS
You shall come back again in a blaze of glory
To the land that you left in such utter despair!
You shall continue the great work you began,
And take up your mighty weapons once more!
Arthur, your majestic brow shall be wreathed
In those victory laurels you once had scorned,
In tribute to the magnificent accomplishment
Of having dared to believe in an Ideal World!
(As the sun plunges into the sea, its blinding
light temporarily obscures the barge. By the
time it has disappeared below the horizon, the
stage is empty. The sky darkens, and the curtain
slowly begins to fall.)
End of the Opera
--Translation by Judyth Schaubhut Smith
(c) 2000 Judyth Schaubhut Smith